Thursday, April 30, 2015

Tonight Bro Will taught part two of the lesson on The Name of Jesus. At this present moment, I am sitting in the rocking chair in RJ's room. Due to the lights being off, I'm not able to blog tonight on the lesson, I will post it tomorrow. For now, I will sit with my boy because he so sweetly asked me to. I love my son and will take every chance to be with him. God is good.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Tonight RJ wanted to hear a story about when I was a child. I told him that when I was his age, there was no such thing as a mobile phone in my home. If we wanted to make a phone call it was from a landline or a Payphone. This was just too much for him to imagine. Having to find a Payphone to make a phone call. The world sure has changed at a rapid pace. God is good.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

I was given an update regarding my Grandpa's cancer diagnoses. It's not what I wanted to hear. Then I remembered Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Pastor has been preaching a lot about the fact that God does not lie. His word is truth. I am holding on to this. That by the stripes taken by Jesus, the blood he shed, holds healing for my Grandpa. It's not just for him, there some others I know that are struggling with health issues. I claim this for them too! Once again, I go to the song that has been my Anthem for this year. In Jesus Name by Darlene Zschech. You can watch and listen to it here. I like this one in particular because she stops and talks about the healing power of Jesus and even prays against cancer. There is power in the name of Jesus. God is good.

Monday, April 27, 2015

From every source we are being bombarded with news of total devastation and unrest. More is to come. These things do not cause fear to rise up within me. I pray for those involved and my heart weeps for those who have lost loved ones. In the middle of all the unrest, I have rest. I am able to smile. How is that possible when so much wrong is happening everywhere. I think of Psalms 32:7 You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah(AMKJV). It does not matter what is happening, God is my hiding place. He is my song of victory. I will not be afraid, I will not hide. I will look up for Jesus is coming soon. God is good.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Today Pastor Davis taught on Holding Fast To The Promises Of God. His scripture text came from Galatians 4:28 and Hebrews 10:23,35.
We have all been disappointed by a promise that was given to us that for whatever reason did not come to pass. Due to this, we are wary when someone gives us a promise. We are not sure they they are really going to come through. Life happens and what may be good intentions lead to disappointment. Any promise made by a human being is subject to failure. We should not swear to something because we do not know what is going to happen from one day to the next. We live from moment to moment and breath to breath. We do not have the resources to make all our promises come true. The promises of God can never fail. When God speaks his promise, his word is guarantee. His word does not fail. When you read the word of God, know it will come to pass. We must remember the church is not built on promises of man, the church is built on the promises of God. When God says it, he does it. If we are walking with Jesus and doing our best, God will do the rest. We do not need to figure everything out. Jesus is the answer! Remember no matter the situation, the circumstance, greater is he that is in you. Wherever you go, God walks with you. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if God has every failed you, the answer is no, so stop living your life like he has. God is not dead, he is alive and his word is true. Hold fast to the promises of God. God is good.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

You know that moment when your day goes from a normal day to in an instant, it feels like it's going in slow motion. I learned today that my Grandpa(adopoted)has cancer. I don't know much detail wise, but I do know that cancer is not kind. I have a range of emotions going through me. I'm thankful that RJ and I went out to visit this past summer. I have no doubt that the God I serve is a healer. Our family is praying in faith that God will heal him of this cancer. I know God is able, I ask that you join us as we pray for his healing. I also ask that you pray for my Grandparents that they will have peace beyond their understanding on this journey. God is good.

Friday, April 24, 2015

For the next couple of weeks the Thursday night services are being split up into several classes. The one Bob and I are attending is based on the "Name Above All Names : Jesus". Bro. Will Cook is teaching the lesson and he spent most of the first lesson talking about current events. He also mentioned many prominant religious leaders who are becoming less concered with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and are taking the bait of becoming one church. Jesus was never politcially correct. He spoke truth, for he was and still is the only truth. If you have been paying attention to all going on around the world, and if you know your Bible, you can see that Jesus is coming soon. Bro. Cook's main scripture was from Acts 4:12. He also gave a number of scriptures that are based on that there is One God, not two or three in one, only ONE GOD and his name is Jesus. These scriptures are: Psalms 16:10, Mark 1:23-25, James 2:19, Isaiah 45:22-23 and Phillipians 2:10-11. We read in the Bible that when the whole gospel is preached to the whole world, then we have reached the end. An interesteing occurance happened this week. The Rev. Lee Stoneking was asked to speak to the General Assembly at the United Nations. He told his story about how he was healed and then he ended with Acts 2:38 and told them that he gave them the prince of peace, Jesus. If you would like to view his speech, you can watch it here. I truly believe that the soon coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus is near. This does not make me afraid, it excites me. The world is becoming so very strange and the more it changes, the more I no longer fit in. Come soon, Lord Jesus! God is good.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

I'm a big advocate for the thought that children need play time. Thankfully, RJ attends a private school that intertwines hands on exploration with the lessons being taught. When RJ comes home, he has play time before he does his homework. I want him to take a mental break and just play. Today our play was RJ and Mozart (our dog) dressing up as pirates. Of course Mozart being the good dog he is, went along for a while and eventually he managed to get his pirate-patch hat off. The giggles and laughter from this play time were priceless. The pictures I took even more priceless. Children in this day and age are growing up rapidly. 7 year olds no longer seem to have an innocence about them. We are trying to hard to keep a bubble around our boy. We want him to be a kid. He already by nature has an old soul and has his whole future planned out. The moments where I can get him to forget these things and just be a child in play are very precious moments to me. God is good.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I was not able to share the real reason for my mom's visit this month, until today. Bob and I were both witnesses for a trial taking place in the city. Since they could not give me an exact day and time on when I could be called in to testify, I was in a panic. Ross is in school and not knowing the day or time, it's hard to secure someone at the last minute to take care of RJ. Thankfully, my mom was able to come out here for the duration of the trial. She was here to take care of RJ and make sure that he and Ross ate. She cleaned my dishes and even did laundry. Wow, so nice to have her here! On my free days, I loved every minute with her. Tomorrow, she goes home, I will miss her a lot. Thankfully, she will be back for Mother's Day weekend, since that was a long ago planned trip. Even though this trial was very stressful at times and pretty much consumed our lives for a while, it was a blessing to have my mom here. I hope I never have to go on the witness stand again. The time on the stand for me was not as bad as everything that led up to the moment to testify. I'm glad I was able to play a part in truth being revealed and I'm glad it's over. Thankfully, the trial is over and the side I witnessed for won. Most of all I am thankful for my mom coming to our rescue and taking good care of RJ. God is good.

Monday, April 20, 2015

It has been so nice having my mom here. She will be heading home on Wednesday. Bob and I had to be in the city today and one of the things my mom wanted was a NYC hot dog. Thus, today while walking in the Spring Rain we stopped to pick up a hot dog for her. She was super happy when we got home with the hot dog in hand. Time with her has been wonderful and I will miss her when she goes home. Tomorrow, RJ will stay home from school and spend a nice quality day with her. God is good.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

How do you put into words everything that took place this weekend? I have heard many sermons preached by Bro. Stoneking. Taking notes is almost impossible due to all that he says combined with the almost electrical atmosphere while he is speaking. I looked at my notes for last night and today and realized that I didn't write much down. He started off by saying that Jesus wonderful. If Jesus is inside of you than you are full of Wonder! Because he is wonderful, we are wonderful. If we could just see ourselves as Jesus sees us, we would not have the issues that we have about our self-image. I have for you the title of his sermon from today and it is, “Prophetic Location For Us In This Hour." He gave the title and read from Isiah 62:1 and Zachariah 12:2-3 and then proceeded to do just that, prophesy. He preached hard and strong about the nation of Israel and all the events that took place history wise in Israel coming to the point that is it is in today. He gave so many facts and statistics, all that you can read about just by paying attention to the news. The current events taking place regarding Israel and the rest of the world is a very loud shout for the church to wake up. God is coming soon! The earth is shaking and shouting the soon return of Jesus. We need to be totally in and ready. He challenged us to come into the house of the Lord shouting in victory because Jesus is coming soon. It is time to rejoice, be a light and shine for Christ. He then opened the alter for those who had not yet received the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38. The alter was packed. There was no music and the power of God fell. I have no idea how many received the Holy Ghost for the first time. Then when they started to be baptized, the musicians began to lead us in praise and worship. People were still getting the Holy Ghost and I would say for about an hour person after person was being baptized. While we were worshiping, RJ started to praise the Lord while jumping up and down and singing the song at the top of his lungs. I looked down to watch him and realized that in the midst of his praising God, he had begun to speak in tongues. My boy was filled overflowing once again with God's spirit. He sat down and just held his hands to his heart and his little face was glowing. He whispered in my ear that he had gotten the Holy Ghost. I'm thankful for all that were filled with God's spirit today and I'm even more thankful that one of them was my little boy. God is good. If you would like watch the service from Saturday, you can watch it here.

Friday, April 17, 2015

I love being with my mom. She loves to laugh and it's just nice being around her. Tonight as I blog she is cuddled in the couch with Ross and RJ watching an old 3 Stooges movie on YouTube. It's said that laughter is the best medicine. Having her around has been great for the boys. I love her and wish she lived here. Her name is a Spring flower and she has brought the beauty of Spring to NY and our hearts! God is good.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Tonight we did not have our regular mid-week church service since we are having a Holy Ghost Crusade this weekend with Bro. Stoneking as our guest speaker. He is phenomenal and I'm looking forward to hearing him speak. Tonight in our Bible reading I asked if Bob could read my favorite chapter in the Bible. I love Psalms chapter 30. There is a part that talks about how weeping may endure for a night and joy comes in the morning. We all go through things and when we are in the night part of it, it seems like the morning may never come. The wonderful thing is that day will come. It may not be a literal 12 hours from night to day, but it will come. We are going to weep, we will hurt and have some rough moments. They are just that, moments for a night. I'm thankful for the promise that joy will come in the morning! I love God's word. God is good.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Having my mom here has been amazing. Today,after we picked RJ up from school, we stopped by The Planting Fields Arboretum. Due to the cold, Spring has been having a hard time springing forth. Today we saw life bursting through everywhere. RJ was having fun taking pictures of us and captured an amazing glimpse of the beautiful person my mom is. I'm treasuring every moment I have with her. God is good.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Tonight, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. It was nice to sit with my mom while RJ and Ross played the games. I miss my mom and time spent with her is precious. It doesn't matter what we are doing, just being together is wonderful. God is good.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Today, has been a wonderful day. The boys helped Grammy plant peas in her garden. I went to visit my niece Krystal and her sweet girl Hazel. She is such a sweet cuddle bug. I love seeing Krystal as a mom. Later we had dinner at Grammy's house and Joe came over with his family. Now as I write, I'm sitting by a bonfire lit by Joe and holding my sweet boy as he falls asleep. God is good.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Since its been so cold and my Spring Flowers are pretty much still in winter mode, my husband bought me my favorite flowers. I love Tulips and I was super happy to have some Spring blooming in the house. It's getting warmer and I'm sure the outdoors will Spring forth soon. God is good.

Thursday, April 09, 2015

Tonight Pastor Davis taught a lesson on, "Milk, Meat & Maturity (The diet of a true disciple)". He started with these scriptures: IPeter 2:2, I Corinthians 3:1-2 and Hebrews 5:12-14. When a baby is born, it does not have to be taught to want milk, it just naturally wants milk. When we are first born in Christ, we start off on the "milk". When we mature spiritually, we wean off from the milk and start to need to eat meat. Spiritual maturity is not measured by how long you have been a Christian. A mature Christian is a disciple of Christ, one who follows and obeys his words. To be a disciple, you must bear the cross and follow his teachings. The transition from being a believer to a disciple of Christ has several steps. 1. Spiritual maturity is not automatic, it takes faithfulness and time. 2. It is a process. When you walk with God, he will rub off on you. You will become more like him. 3. It takes intentional discipline. God is more interested in who you are becoming in the moment, rather than how fast it takes to get you there. There is a diet of a mature disciple of Christ. You start out with the milk. When you are on milk it's easy to digest and it's a comfort food. Milk builds the bones and nothing has to die for you to have milk. It's an easy walk without much effort in walking with God. When you transition to the meat it becomes things that take a while to digest. Not everything we read in the Bible is so easy to accept at first. When you have meat, you have to start changing and no longer living like the world. Meat builds mass and something has to die for it to be eaten. We need to die to our flesh in order for us to grow in Christ. He ended the lesson by reading from 2 Peter 1:3-10. Everything we need to become mature we find in Christ. He equips us to grow. When you are really walking with God, something changes in your life. God is good.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Tonight, Bob decided to randomly open the Bible and read where it landed. He opened to Psalms chapter 56. It was an encouraging passage and then he read this from verse 8: "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle/Are they not in your book?” This really, stood out to me. I have read in the Bible that he knows the hairs on our head, I didn't realize that he also bottled our tears. God cares. He cares enough to bottle our tears and write it down in his book. Tears come from happy and sad times. God is there for each tear and he catches them. He cares about what moves us, what breaks us. I'm thankful that he cares for me. God is good.

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

I'm happy to say that we are starting to get our Spring Rain. It's still cold, but not cold enought to make it snow. I'm thankful for the rain and look forward to the trees blooming and the flowers to burst forth in color. Spring has had a hard time waking up,I will be glad when she is awake and full of life. God is good.

Monday, April 06, 2015

One of the great things about living here is being about a 30 min drive or train ride from Manhatten. The city has a lot of great things to offer and we go when we can. Like a good NYer, I subscribed to e-mail alerts of upcoming events. One such alert, is one that tells me of shows that have last minute tickets at a discounted price. This weekend, as I browsed through what was available a gem of an event caught my eye. We happen to enjoy classical music in this family and this was too good to pass up, especially when the tickets were free,I just had to pay the tax. Since Monday is a late school night for Ross and there were only two tickets available, Bob and RJ went on a Daddy night to the city to hear The National Festval Chorus at The Lincoln Center. They dressed up and from the texts I'm getting from my husband, the music is amazing. Moments like this make me glad we live in NY. God is good.

Sunday, April 05, 2015

What a fantastic Resurrection Sunday! We started our day off with an egg hunt in the house and then got ready for church in our Easter Sunday Best. The church was packed out! I don't think I have ever seen that many people in attendance. Pastor preached a great sermon entitled, "Take Another Look". His main scriptures were from John 20:1-16. The greatest news ever given was that Jesus had resurrected from the dead. Nothing has more of an impact on our lives then the reality that Jesus is alive and therefore our salvation is complete. On the third day when Mary Magdalene and the other women went to administer the ointment, they were shocked to find the stone was rolled away and Jesus was not there. They did not know if someone had stolen the body of Jesus or where he had been taken. When they saw this they, ran back to where the disciples were in hiding and told them. Peter and John went to the tomb to see that the stone was rolled away. When Peter went inside, John followed and they discovered that Jesus' body was gone and the linen he had been wrapped in was lying there in the tomb. Peter was not sure what to believe, but John saw and believed that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. As they were leaving they were met by Mary who had returned. She tarried awhile and stayed. She was sad because she did not know where he was and waited to see if an answer would come. After they left, she saw two angels there and soon after Jesus appeared to her. At first she didn't know who he was, she thought he was the gardener. When he called her by name, she knew who he was immediately. We in life are faced with things. We can chose to walk away in confusion and not know what is going one. We can come to the realization of who God is embrace it and that is as far as we go. Or we can be like Mary, come back and take another look. She stayed, she tarried and she was blessed for it. She was the first to see Jesus after he had raised from the dead. There is a blessing if you will wait on the Lord. When you don't give up, God will bring mighty things to pass for your life. Jesus was dead, he is now alive and his spirit lives within us! I am so glad Jesus rose from the dead!

Saturday, April 04, 2015

I was thinking about two men, one named Peter and the other Judas. Two men who in their own way failed Jesus. Peter at a time when he could have stood up for Christ, lied. Judas betrayed him for money and with a kiss. Judas even tried to give the money back and undo what he had done. Both men stood face to face with their betrayal of Christ. One chose the road to redemption and the other to an eternal hell. We all come to a point in our life when we have a choice. We can be like Judas and miss out on the redeeming grace of Christ or we can be like Peter. Peter came full circle and when he did, he came to the fullest of what God called him to be. Don't the the blood Jesus shed for you, pass you by. Let him wash you whiter than snow. He paid the price, choose the freedom of a life in Christ. God is good.

Friday, April 03, 2015

For those who believe in Jesus, this weekend is very Holy. For many this Friday is called, " Good Friday". This is the day that marks when Jesus died on the cross and was laid in a borrowed tomb. I can imagine the roller coaster of emotions that took place in the hearts of those who believed in him. Their Messiah was dead, the King of Kings was no longer with them. They were going by what they saw. What they could not see was that he was going to the depths of Hell and taking the keys. He was fulfilling all he had promised, fulfilling his destiny. He felt all we felt, died a horrible death, to become victorious for you and I. I'm so thankful that he rose again 3 days later. I'm thankful for the cross, I'm thankful for his blood and I'm thankful that in him I have a chance for eternal life. God is good.

Thursday, April 02, 2015

Tonight Bro. Joe Ferragamo taught an outstanding lesson entitled, "Two Portraits of Calvary" and preached from Luke 23:33-46. The crucifixion of Jesus was not a beautiful sight, it was cruel and ugly. The stench of death was everywhere. His death on the cross was ugly, but there was beauty in it. Jesus died for you and me because of our sins. We are free because, he became the ultimate sacrifice for us. Even though Calvary was a place of torture, it was also a place where three things took place. The beauty of Jesus dying on the cross was that it was filled with his love for us. John 3:16, tells us Jesus died because he loved us. While he hung on the cross, his mercy flowed for us. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God. Most of all, Jesus' death on the cross was for our forgiveness. He pardoned us so that we could have a relationship with him. No matter the sin, Jesus shed his blood on Calvary and made us whiter than snow. We ended the service with communion. Bishop Davis led it and he always gives it a fresh look for me. I'm so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for me. I'm so thankful that he shed his blood. I am so thankful that he rose again 3 days later, so I could not only be free from my sins, but have the chance for eternal life with him. God is good.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

We had a beautiful day given to us. RJ and I spent it at The Bronx Zoo. Wednesday is "free" day and we had a blast enjoying the exhibits. It was good to see friends while we were there. One was from our church and the other were classmates from RJ's school. The best part of the day was when the Otters were communicating with RJ. I wish I had recorded it. They were totally engaged with him, it was so cute. We walked all over the zoo, until closing time and had a blast. I'm so thankful for a beautiful Spring day. God is good.